PftA Book 2 - Interlude 4

A/N: Remember, this is an Interlude, so it will not follow Emie's POV (even if she's in the 'scene').

Interlude 4 – Reactions

Thick layers of Arcane mana covered the perimeter of Sir Eri’Non’s rarely-used personal training room, keeping his fury from damaging his beloved ship. If anyone could see inside the inky interior, they would likely compare the ancient elf’s behavior to a spoiled scion being told no for the first time.

In his anger, the old elf flailed and smashed, kicking and hitting everything within the barrier until the furnishings were little more than rubble. The barrier activated automatically when his interface recognized his lack of control.

He rarely truly lost control, but it only took once to cause an incident. This close to his limit, he couldn’t risk the setback an incident would cause.

This was the second time a valuable resource had been stolen from his grasp!

He’d had to promise a lot of favors and pay a lot of mana cores to gain access to the tracking system that monitored native ‘beta testers.’ He’d planned everything! The elf had been prepared to acquire his newest test subject the moment they awakened. But somehow, he hadn’t been fast enough!

Sir Eri’Non slammed what remained of the broken training dummy into the ground before stomping on it several times. An illegible shriek of rage erupted from his mouth before he finally felt his fury recede.

The ancient elf took several calming breaths before directing the room’s repair function to begin working. The items beyond repair would be replaced, and all evidence of his outburst would be swiftly removed before anyone saw it.

Not that anyone but Sir Eri’Non used his personal training room.

The fact that he managed to make it to the room was proof of his superior control. Had anyone else experienced the same betrayal, they would have surely lost control on the spot, likely destroying the ship in their anger.

The elf smirked as he made his way to his personal quarters. Now that he was calm, he needed to figure out how his efforts had been thwarted.

He’d obtained several new test subjects since being denied the Time/Space Mage. While some were already awakened, most were unawakened. A few hadn’t even been exposed to the nanites yet, making them particularly interesting subjects to study once they arrived in the Realm Dungeon.

“Show data for the target,” he commanded his Research Interface Assistant aloud. Unlike other lesser beings, he was not limited to a single mana-entity. His nearly five millennia of effort had led to several advantages. The additional drones were just one of them.

After studying the information, he said, “Display other potential subjects with similar mana levels.”

Several new screens appeared, cascading in front of the elf’s eyes. He swiftly assessed each one, marking those of potential interest and dismissing others. Sir Eri’Non’s eyes were eventually drawn to a screen he’d felt compelled to keep displayed on the largest wall. Since he’d learned about the individual, he’d monitored their progression.

A tri-affinity human would have been amazing to study. Unfortunately, such an affinity was so rare that the individual in question had already drawn the attention of several Council members and sects – he could tell because the number of views on this particular report was significantly higher than any other. But reappropriating such an individual wouldn’t be a simple matter, especially now that they’d awakened.

It would probably be similar to taking that Time/Space Mage now that she was the disciple of Patriarch Kairos.

He shook his head.

He really wanted to study that girl. He could feel the secrets held within her mana. If he could just get his hands on her… he was sure he’d gain some kind of insight… perhaps even enlightenment.

It would only take one amazing discovery to push him over the threshold. He’d been close for so long… he already had all his affairs in order, just in case.

But it was wishful thinking – at least regarding the Time/Space Mage and the tri-affinity human.  He’d just have to make up for it with quantity if not quality. Besides, the elites who’d petitioned for access to the Realm Dungeon needed some chaff to keep things interesting at low tiers.

= = =

Some of the tension in Rhona’s shoulders released as the newest awakened native signed the updated NDA preventing her from sharing information about the upcoming reintegration – or any related sensitive information. When Emie messaged her earlier, letting her know she’d had to use Rewind because her roommate had not taken the news well, the Administrator worried the newly awakened would cause trouble.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. The shorter girl seemed a little shell-shocked but had been fairly compliant, especially after Rhona cast a minor calming spell. The new version of the NDA would also ensure there were no issues.

Rhona had been closely monitoring Mercer and Miss Jessup’s mana saturation rates, and only allowed Emie’s plans to go forward because she was living with the other girl.

Maybe there was a little bit of favoritism at play as well. Rhona wouldn’t have minded if Mercer awakened early so she could openly lavish little Amie with gifts. But it would eventually happen. Even forbidding Emie from interfering further, he would still awaken before the reintegration officially occurred.

Being a professional, she should have discouraged Emie from her endeavor, but Rhona understood the girl’s desire to help those close to her gain a small advantage. She also understood how difficult it was to keep secrets from family and loved ones, especially while cohabitating with them.

“Can Bell work with me in R&D?” Emie asked hopefully. “I’ve already explained the general mission, and she knows enough Enchanting to be helpful. With me shifting to work with Stella soon…”

“That starts next week,” the Administrator reminded the young Time/Space Mage before shifting her attention to the curly-haired girl sitting beside her. “Is that something you’re interested in?”

Of course, Rhona already knew the answer. She made a point of accessing her Mind abilities whenever she physically interacted with a newly awakened for the first time. She didn’t dig deep, just skimming a bit below the surface to ensure nobody had plans to find a way around the contract – not that they could do so easily with the controls that had been added.

Having built-in controls really was better when dealing with such fickle beings. Some would literally destroy their potential just to feel morally superior while actively working against the best interests of those they claim to be championing.

Earthborn were weird.

Thankfully, the Alliance had brought enough people to keep the worst of the offenses from being made public. A few well-placed assets went a long way.

Donna Jessup, known as Bell to her friends, nodded politely. It was obvious that she was still unbalanced by the revelations she’d received, but the calming spell was doing its job.

“It is, though I’d like to be able to play with my friends while they beta test sometimes, too, if possible,” the girl said, looking toward Emie for support. Emie smiled reassuringly.

“That’s easy enough. Let me adjust your employment contract,” the Administrator said as she tapped her tablet a few times. She could have easily done everything via her interface, but she knew that physically going through the motions helped keep her grounded. It was something taught at every reputable academy in the Alliance.

It was easy to start disconnecting from the world as one reached higher tiers, especially when surrounded by those at lower tiers.

She handed the tablet to the young woman and watched as she read through the contract. It was similar to Emie's contract before Elder Kairos renegotiated it. Since Bell didn’t have access to Time magic, giving her a daily or weekly quota would likely be counter-productive, especially with Emie shifting her focus to portals and rifts soon.

Rhona watched silently as the two girls discussed the contract. She wasn’t surprised when Emie shared information about her own contract and the changes it had seen over the nearly two years since she was initially hired as a beta tester.

It still amazed her how quickly time passed.

Once the contract was signed, Rhona accepted the tablet and leaned back in her chair with a sigh. Now, she needed to bring up the topic she knew neither girl would like.

“We need to talk about Justin. Actually, we should probably just encompass feeding mana-infused foods to unawakened in general,” Rhona said, looking between the two girls. They were technically women by both Earth and Alliance standards, but it was hard to think of them as real adults when they were barely two decades old.

Emie lifted her chin slightly. “I thought it was okay. I mentioned it before, and we talked about it a little when you warned me that Bell was getting close to awakening…” she trailed off, looking down. Rhona gave her a moment to think. Her roommate, surprisingly, remained silent as well.

“I understand how close it was to going bad,” Emie said, glancing at the young woman beside her. “And I’m not sure how Justin would react, but I don’t know how else to keep my family safe other than ensuring they know what’s about to happen – which I can’t do until they awaken.”

Rhona nodded. She really didn’t want to air the Alliance’s dirty laundry, but it was important for both girls to understand there was more at risk than they realized.

“Do you know why I had you remove the Fitmon from your roommate as soon as her interface activated?” The Mind Mage asked, focusing on Emie. The girl shook her head. “It’s because we’ve had newly awakened disappear. There are indications that unaffiliated, unawakened individuals are also being taken. I have my suspicions…”

Rhona paused, sighed, and shook her head. “Look, the Senior Researcher over the Earth portion of the study is an old elf. He’s nearly five thousand years old, which means he’s approaching the end of his natural life span, even at Tier Ten. That makes him dangerous on multiple levels.” The pretty brunette closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply before refocusing on the two girls.

“His goal is to ascend through enlightenment or by gaining enough knowledge through research to cross the threshold into the next realm. Unless he accomplishes his goal soon, he will likely die.” Rhona glanced at her tablet, thinking about the messages she’d gotten regarding the elf’s increased volatility, and shook her head. “It’s an open secret that he has several side studies running, but that’s only peripherally relevant.”

Rhona sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing she had Rewind and could start the conversation over. She was doing a horrible job explaining this. “We think he’s taking people and studying the effects of mana, which isn’t really a big deal since he won’t risk violating the Accords. The bigger issue is that now that the transition has started… if a native leaves the planet for any reason, they can’t return until the transition is complete.”

Emie blinked a few times, processing the information. “Why not? Is he just… keeping them on his ship? Like, in [Stasis] or something?”

“The protocol was put in place when the study started. And,” Rhona shook her head again, “No. It’s more likely they are being shifted to a secondary study. I did a little research after he targeted you –” She motioned toward Emie, causing her to jerk away as if a Fireball had been cast in her direction. “—and I learned he has a semi-secret challenge dungeon of some sort where he allows people to… I don’t know, challenge rifts or something?”

Rhona groaned in annoyance. “Sorry. The information is pretty sparse, aside from the fact that it exists. I have heard that a lot of young Alliance elite ask to participate in the ‘study.’ I think he’s sending test subjects there. If what I heard is accurate, it would technically be a reward… though few aside from the likely well-provisioned elite are known to have returned.”

Bell held up a hand. “I’m sorry, what? Emie was targeted by this guy?” The shorter girl looked at her roommate. “I’m guessing this is the first you’ve heard of this?”

Emie nodded and looked at the Administrator. “Is that why you were so quick to remove my Fitmon after my information was released?”

Rhona’s lips curled down, and she nodded once. “I didn’t want him to have the ability to track you. I’m almost certain he wouldn’t try anything now that he knows you are Elder Kairos’s disciple, but I wanted to be sure.”

“Disciple?” Bell asked, nearly in a daze. “I feel like there is so much I don’t know about you, Emie. What… I don’t…” the girl’s words trailed off.

Redirecting the conversation, Rhona said, “The point is that pushing Justin – or anyone else – toward an early awakening is only putting them at risk of drawing Sir Eri’Non’s attention. Even if you avoid causing an incident, I’m almost positive the old elf—” she coughed “—I mean, Sir Eri’Non has probably gained access to all the databases by now. The Council tried to compartmentalize the information to prevent some of his tendencies, but it’s hard to control a Peak Tier Ten.”

“Do you think he targeted Bell?” Emie asked, aghast. “Is that why you made such a big deal about me removing her Fitmon before doing anything else?”

“I literally cannot answer that,” Rhona said after a long pause. Just thinking about answering the first question caused several warning bells to sound in her mind. Sometimes, contracts were a bit overly restrictive.

“However,” she continued, “it makes sense that he would be interested in the first native to awaken outside a mana saturation test. I wanted to be safe. That’s why I want you to stop giving your brother mana-infused foods. He’s already on track to awaken early. It would be better not to have him stand out any more than he already does.”